Monday, October 30, 2006

Sheffield Pottery and ME

(Diane Cowan, whose family runs Sheffield Pottery, with my delivery of cups and bowls on the counter)
Sheffield Pottery in Massachusetts http://www.sheffield-pottery.com/
is my favorite gallery, and I have been involved with them since 1994, when I taught at Cushing Academy http://www.cushing.org/
and they were our supplier. They are an unusual outfit in many ways. In the 40s, the senior Mr. Cowan started making pots from clay dug in the back yard of his farm house. He moved on from there selling clay and pottery making supplies to potters and schools throughout New England and New York. The business is now run by his son John Cowan, and his wife Diane, pictured here. There is a huge hole behind the ceramics warehouse and storing facility, where they dig clay. It is rare these days, however, for clay dug from one spot to be perfect to work with, so they probably mix theirs with a little clay and sand and whatnot from around the country. So, in back in a large building they make clay and store supplies for glazes and such. Up front, on rte. 7, they have a huge barn turned into a retail gallery of pots, featuring among others, me. I like the fact that this is:
-a family business
-they dig clay out of the ground and process it on site. that's cool
-they sell my finished work, from clay dug in the back yard! very tidy.
So, basically, I drive over with a truck load of pots and come home with a truck load of clay. The situation this weekend was worse than I thought, and they will need LOTS MORE of my work, and soon, for the Christmas season.
Drove over and back, in and out of the snow, but up on top of Windham Mountain they could start skiing soon, there was a lot stuck on the ground.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know, your other galleries might get jealous knowing that this one is your favourite. :-)

Susan as Herself said...

I love the smell of clay.

And snow enough to ski? Oh, man... at least we don't have that here...YET.

Anonymous said...

Actually, I tell each one they are my favorite, except the one that rhymes with "Cordwainer's gallery, Bedford, NH" which I am mad at at the moment, because each one treats me so nicely that when I am there they are my fave. So, I am honest, but maybe sort of memory.
Susan--hunter Mtn is not the tallest mtn. on earth, but believe me, it is UP THERE. So, all the little flurry flakes around upstate found a nice home on top of Hunter.

Anonymous said...

short of memory, dangit